This invention relates to a device for continuously lowering and lifting containers such as bottles, cans or the like.
In general, an inclined conveyor-type device was conventionally used as a device for lowering containers such as bottles or cans from a high level to a low level and lifting them from a low level to a high level. In case the inclined conveyor is used for such a purpose, it is not desirable to incline the conveyor at more than 4 degrees for preventing the containers from falling down.
As a kind of such a device, the inventors of this invention formerly invented a slide-type device for lowering and lifting bottle-like containers. This slide-type device was disclosed in Japanese Utility Laid-Open Publication No. 72807/1981. The slide-type device has a slide on which a plurality of bottles slide down in a state wherein the bottles adjacent to one another incline downward with the bottom surface of each bottle contacting the sliding surface of the slide. The lower part of the slide is provided with a stopper for regularly feeding each bottle one by one to the next process.
The slide extends straight in a inclined state and the inclination angle of the slide is limited to such an extent as to prevent the bottles from falling down on the slide.
Accordingly, in both cases of the conveyor-type and slide-type devices, it will be obliged to use a remarkably long device, which is inconvenient and not economical.